Item number: A1244

Year: AD 1138-1279

Material: Gold

Size: 134.0 x 19.7 x 1.0 mm

Weight: 37.5 g

Provenance:

1. Da Han Stamps and Coins Collection 2008

2. Chang Ming-chuan Collection

This is a one-tael gold ingot cast during the Southern Song period. The ingot has a long, thin rectangular shape, with a slightly concave curve in the centre. Both ends of the obverse side are stamped with the inscription “Made by Yan Nian Sanlang,” which serves as an identifying hallmark of the craftsman. The Southern Song Dynasty was the most prosperous period for commerce in Chinese history. Although daily transactions still relied on copper coins as the medium of exchange, precious metals such as gold and silver played significant roles in both governmental and private sectors.

Archaeologists have unearthed gold strip ingots of various weights, including one, three, six, ten, twelve and a half, twenty-five, and fifty taels. These ingots typically have a rectangular shape. Additionally, gold is also crafted into various other metal products, such as gold plates and thin gold leaves resembling paper. On the surface of gold strip ingots, one often finds markings indicating their purity, the name of the goldsmith, and the unique stamps of the shops, serving as markers of distinction and quality assurance.

According to historical records, gold products during the Southern Song Dynasty served primarily non-commercial purposes such as rewards, military expenses, national expenses, taxes, tributes, offerings, and gifts. During the Southern Song period, one tael of gold was equivalent to thirty strings of copper coins, which had an astonishing purchasing power of twenty-two thousand coins. However, the legal currency of the Southern Song Dynasty was copper coins and paper money, so gold needed to be exchanged through special intermediary institutions known as “gold-silver-salt-paper exchange shops.”

Since the Southern Song capital Lin’an was established in AD 1138, the rapid population growth in the city led to increased demand for various consumer goods. Lin’an, especially, was inhabited by high-consumption residents such as members of the royal family and high-ranking officials. Therefore, on the bustling commercial streets of Lin’an, there were hundreds of “exchange shops” where people could exchange gold and silver. In addition to dealing with the production and exchange of gold and silver products, these exchange shops also served as places for exchanging legal paper money. These exchange shops played an indispensable role in promoting the economic prosperity of the Southern Song Dynasty.

物件編號: A1244

年代: 公元 1138-1279 年

材料: 金

尺寸: 134.0 x 19.7 x 1.0 mm

重量: 37.5 g

來源:

1. 大漢郵幣社 2008

2. 張明泉舊藏

這是一條南宋時期鑄造的一兩重金鋌，外觀呈現長條狀的薄金板，中央有收腰的曲線，正面兩端印有「嚴念三郎記」，即工匠名字的識別標記。南宋是中國歷史上商業最為蓬勃發展的時代，雖然日常交易仍然以銅錢作為媒介，彼時金銀等貴金屬也在政府和民間扮演重要的角色。

考古學家發掘到的金鋌，依照重量有：一、三、六、十、十二半、二十五和五十兩等種類， 其形制多為長條狀。除此之外，黃金亦會被鑄造為金牌和薄如紙張的金葉子等不同厚度的金屬製品。金鋌的表面上，經常會印有：成色、金銀鋪名、工匠名和店家的獨門戳記，用作區別和品質保證。

根據文獻記載，黃金製品在南宋時期的主要功能是：賞賜、軍費、國費、納稅、上供、進獻和餽贈等非商業性用途。南宋時期一兩黃金等值於三十貫銅錢，即二十二萬枚的驚人購買力。但南宋的法定貨幣是銅幣和紙幣，故需要通過特殊中介機構「金銀鹽鈔交引鋪」兌換。自公元1138年，南宋定都臨安以來，城內人口急速增長帶動各種消費品的需求。尤其臨安更是皇族和達官顯貴等具備高消費力居民的住居，故臨安最繁華的商業街道上，供人兌換金銀的「交引鋪」就高達上百家之譜。交引鋪業務涉及金銀製品的打造和交換外，更是兌換法定紙幣「鈔引」的場所。交引鋪稱得上促進南宋經濟繁榮不可或缺的重要角色。